


A Happy Ending

by zzinvolterra



Category: Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Volturi, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Non-Graphic Violence, Slight Edward Cullen Bashing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:35:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27687020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zzinvolterra/pseuds/zzinvolterra
Summary: “Such a waste,” Aro said softly, as Edward left.  His foolishly doting smile fell into a mask of perfected neutrality, though he kept a touch of sentimentality in his gaze as he watched the massive doors close behind the boy.  “Of time, his death will be.”A do-over of the New Moon scene in Volterra, only the Volturi actually don’t give second chances.  The Cullens won’t survive this disaster.
Relationships: Aro & Caius & Marcus (Twilight), Aro & Carlisle Cullen, Edward Cullen/Bella Swan
Comments: 23
Kudos: 33





	A Happy Ending

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: far too many italics and strikethroughs were used in the creation of this fic.

“Such a waste,” Aro said softly, as Edward left. His foolishly doting smile fell into a mask of perfected neutrality, though he kept a touch of sentimentality in his gaze as he watched the massive doors close behind the boy. “Of time, his death will be.”

The child, barely over a century old, had said it himself once: you don’t irritate the Volturi unless you want to die. Though it was not quite how he himself would put it as it did make them sound somewhat ~~tyrannical~~ unapproachable, the statement was not entirely incorrect either. And the boy, self-centered, tragic, and dramatic (but not in a fun way), was an annoyance. Only the memory of a past but cherished friendship ~~and the fact that he would soon give them just cause~~ stilled his hand.

“I assume he is leaving to provide us with a reason for an execution,” Marcus drawled to his right.

The corner of Aro’s lips twitched. There was no need to Read him to predict which path he would take, though he had, of course, done so. And what a supply of information he had given him, Aro mused, though most of it was tinted with the bitter taste of judgment. The righteous boy (reports he received from the American branch a few centuries ago contradicted that statement) would still want to honor his hero, darling Carlisle’s teaching.

“Yes, dear Edward intends to attempt to force our hand most likely by… publicly sparkling,”

As though they had not wiped (or killed) every mention of their kind’s glittering skin. As though the very fabrications and beliefs humans held about the supernatural vampire had not been constructed, quite creatively, if he might add, by them. At worst, people would assume the child had applied an unholy amount of body glitter and avoided the sun at all costs.

“A pathetic end to a pathetic existence,” Caius snorted, and Aro couldn’t help but agree. “He’ll be back then, Aro?”

He nodded, and Caius rolled his eyes and muttered something about the youth of today. Silence swept over the room, then, as the three waited, reclining on golden thrones as they always had.

~v~

Sometime later, when the chamber had filled with his Guard, splendid darlings that they were, the sound of a whisper-soft shuffle flooded through the hallways. As did the unmistakable beat of a human heart, Aro noted with a slight grin. It seemed that Isabella was alive and well after all. _Interesting._

As the human’s mouth-watering scent entered the room, he stood and walked down from his raised throne, the crowd parting as he entered, almost like an actor stepping into the spotlight, and let his grin overtake his face.

Spotting his beloved Guard, he exclaimed, “Jane, dear one, you’ve returned!” Genuine delight colored his voice. She, though all his Guard held a special place in his undead heart, was his daughter in all the ways that mattered.

He drifted closer to them, cloak fluttering behind like inky wings, causing a majority of his Guard, as though attached by a puppet master’s strings, to trail after him. _How attentive they are._

Aro bent down to lightly brush a kiss against Jane’s forehead, which caused her to light up rather adorable.

“Yes, Master,” she said with a smile. “I brought him back alive, just as you wished.”

“Jane, you are such a comfort to me.” A touch of approval entered his gaze as he smiled at her before floating back a bit to rest at the foot of the raised platform.

Edward had indeed returned, along with two other _new_ beings, he noted with delight. He did so love encountering new ~~knowledge~~ people.

He kept his mind focused on his glee as he assessed the rest of the group. Edward really was irritating in more than one way, and he preferred to keep his thoughts his own. (A lifetime of meeting Abilities along with a vast arsenal of other’s memories had prepared him well.)

“And Alice and Bella too!” he added ecstatically, recognizing them from the boy’s memories. (To his left, he could almost feel Caius along with perhaps half his Guard repressing an eye-roll at his antics.) His grin widened further.

The tiny vampire (Edward’s sister, his mind supplied) stood uneasily off to one side. Another one of dear Carlisle’s children, who possessed a Sight-related Ability, similar to himself and the boy except it regarded the ever-elusive Future. Quite useful, though quite random and frankly, overwhelming, her gift was. Empathy briefly swept through him before leaving as suddenly as it had appeared. _Perhaps he was immersing himself too fully in the role._

Clinging to the boy was the other newcomer, Edward’s supposed mate. And the one who ~~smelled delicious~~ apparently possessed an Ability, even though they were mortal. _Simply delightful._

“This is a happy surprise!” Aro clasped his hands together in excitement. “Now Edward, aren’t you glad I didn’t give you what you want?”

“Yes, I am,” he said stiffly, grip tightening to what looked to be a rather painful degree around the human’s waist. The image of ribs snapping flashed through his mind.

“I just love a happy ending! They are so rare… “ he trailed off thoughtfully, almost to himself, before beaming back up at them. “But I want the whole story. How did this happen, Alice?”

He swayed a bit closer towards her, reaching out one hand while noting a relaxed demeanor bellied by balled fists. His dear friend Carlisle had not, according to Edward’s memories, told his family much. Enough to strike some legitimate fear though, he amended with satisfaction.

Aro watched Alice shift awkwardly before taking his hand, the briefest brush inspiring a dizzying wave of colors. _Incredibile_ , he thought to himself as his eyes fluttered shut.

The experience of Reading her had not been, in and of itself, that extraordinary. He had (intentionally) run into others blessed with Sight of the Future, but _hers_ . It had _everything_. The Future beckoned from the corner of her his eyes, spiraling and after each decision, hesitation, fate. It split off in pathways forever unexplored, entire universes, multitudes. Through her, he could taste _infinity_ , and it pulled him in, drawing from depths that eclipsed and burst and mirrored and shined, spinning distantly, folding, twisting, wrapping, choking, a single endless _kaleidoscope_ -

He opened his eyes, a short gasp unconsciously escaping him, and smiled at her brilliantly. “ _Magnifico_ ,” he breathed.

Aro released her hand and gathered every trace of _Alice_ in his mind into a tightly bound book, saving the more thorough read for later. He turned to smile at the human then, who hid further behind Edward in response.

“I wonder if I could try Reading sweet Bella,” he asked Edward, who turned to look at the human clinging to him before gesturing slightly. Ah, the boy wanted him to ask the little mortal for permission himself, he thought, amused. “May I, my dear?”

The human nodded, and he quickly grasped their hand. _Touch too eager_ , he chided himself… and then realized there was nothing. For the first time since he was Turned, and without any effort on his part to block out another mind, he Saw absolutely nothing.

He stepped back and murmured, “How fascinating,”

Edward looked rather smug.

Aro tilted his head, considering, before turning to Jane. An experiment then ~~that had nothing to do with his suddenly fierce desire to wipe the irritating expression off the boy’s face~~ to determine how infallible the moral was.

“I wonder… Jane?” he asked lightly. And then there was chaos.

The boy growled before launching himself at Jane, _his darling lovely Jane_ , while his sister screamed at him to stop. His Guard responded instantaneously, Demetri grabbing the human while Felix restrained the girl. Jane effortlessly defended herself, leaving the moronic boy writhing on the ground in pain, which stopped Alec, whose paralyzing smoke was already seeping out of him, from attacking. All done so quickly that the human was left twisting its head in wild confusion, gaping at the sight.

“Restrain them both,” Caius called out, voice like a whip after his own soft tones.

Jane released the boy instantly, feral expression smoothing back into that of an angelic child as Santiago stepped forward from the group of appalled Guards to scoop the twitching boy off the floor, effectively subduing him.

“ _Oddio_ ,” Aro said, grin slipping off his face as he tilted his head. “What are we going to do with you, my dears?”

He flashed back to the top of the platform, gracefully sinking into his throne before gazing at his Brothers. Caius reached over first, his mind muttering of disrespect and impudence and order. Marcus followed suit, agreeing with a singular thought: let us be done with this.

Edward began to squirm, his attempts futile, as he heard the decision. “I broke no Law,” he growled.

“The human beside you begs to differ, Edward,” Aro gently replied, as though chiding a naughty child. “You have broken the most important Law.”

“As has your family,” Marcus intoned, “The human has relationships with them all.”

Alice’s eyes widened as she went still, a stream of nonsensical mutterings escaping her lips before she began to scream. (How unpleasant.) Edward, too, started to shout as he saw what awaited them while the human looked more and more distressed.

A trace of irritation, the first sign Aro had shown of his dwindling patience, dashed across his face. He nodded at Alec, who outstretched his arms, black mist floating towards the now hysterical vampires as though it was an extension of his fingers. It wrapped around the two as Felix and Santiago released them and quickly rejoined the Guard.

The human was whimpering and shaking, face pale as it stared at the corpse-like boy and girl. “What did you do?” it whispered, hoarse voice cracking with eyes wide and unseeing. It was ignored.

“Highly irregular,” Aro mused, “though no doubt excitingly eventful.”

He could, if he truly wanted to, sway his Brothers. A small nip, a Turning in this very chamber, following the Law, and everyone leaves happy. But, he deliberated, the boy had attacked _his_ dear Guard. If word reached other, more… volatile vampires, that he was allowed to walk free… well that simply would not do.

All it took was a glance and a blink at his wonderful Guard, and, after centuries, _millenniums_ , of service, they knew exactly what to do.

Aro stood, followed by his Brothers, and floated around the circle of vampires towards the door.

“Master?”

He turned around, facing his beloved Guard. Inside the loose circle, he could make out twitching limbs and, _oh_ , the most tantalizing scent. He smiled indulgently. “Go ahead, my dears.”

He turned back and drifted through the doors, helpfully held open by a couple of his Guards before they joined the others. He continued down the empty hallway, his Brothers gliding behind as they always had, as though attached by a puppet master’s string.

“I do believe,” Aro said, soft tones returning once again, “that it is time to finally visit Carlisle and the rest of his lovely family.”

Who knows? Perhaps, ~~of course ,~~ he could convince dear Marcus and darling Caius to spare his old friend Carlisle.

Behind him, he heard his lovely Guard descend.

**Author's Note:**

> A happy ending indeed...
> 
> This is a much more ruthless, manipulative, and frankly, insane interpretation of Aro than what I usually headcanon, but I was re-reading the Volterra scene and just thinking to myself: this whole scene is a second chance! These are the Big Bad Super Evil Very Terrible villains? So then this happened :)
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed! All kudos and comments will be lovingly cherished <3


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